Harvest

With spring in the air, the media turns its attention to weddings. In this regard, I recently came across an article that spoke positively of the marriage workshop the author and his wife were required to take before their Catholic wedding.

There are frustrations, I am sure, in every line of work.  So, too, in ministry.  I would like to share one of mine with you, if I might. 

Hoping to follow in his father’s footsteps and practice medicine, Dr. Hassan Mahmoud began his residency at Maine Medical Center in Portland in July. 

They visit nursing homes and bring comfort to those who are ill. 

For 50 years, Steve and Kathy Beirne have been celebrating the joy of love. “We not only are married, but we love marriage,” says Steve.

“What is the purpose of a spoon? While most of us might think of it as an eating utensil, students at Saint James School in Biddeford are likely to have other ideas.

Stacks of paperwork surround Deacon Al Burleigh as he sits at his desk at Saint Mary of the Visitation Parish in Houlton. 

A smile spread across Michelle Kessler’s face as she was handed the key to her new home by Father Frank Murray, pastor of Saint Paul the Apostle Parish in Bangor.

A medal celebrating 15 years of sobriety proudly hangs around Scott McClelland’s neck.

Imagine putting together a jigsaw puzzle with each piece weighing in at between 10 and 20 pounds.

With these words, we brought the Jubilee Year of Mercy to a close in our cathedral in Portland on the Feast of Christ the King. 

Recently, the Holy See promulgated a new instruction regarding cremation, "To Rise with Christ.”  By now, I suppose most American Catholics are aware of the fact that cremation is now allowed in the Catholic Church, after many years of being prohibited.  That change in the law has been with us since the early 1960’s.

A freshman at the University of Maine in Orono, 18-year-old Amber Delaney is settling into college life. 

Mother Teresa is Canonized

It is hard to believe that it has been five years since the introduction of the new translation of the Roman Missal.  It was in November 2011 that we began using the new translation. 

On September 26, I was privileged to join with hundreds of priests and some 25 bishops at the Basilica Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Newark, New Jersey, for the funeral Mass for Archbishop Peter Leo Gerety

“I am feeling so happy. It’s very emotional. It’s very, very emotional. It really and truly is. God is so good.” Marcy Brenner, a Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA) coordinator at All Saints Parish in Brunswick...

Archbishop Peter Leo Gerety, who served as the eighth Bishop of Portland before being appointed Archbishop of Newark, died on September 20, 2016. 

 “It’s nice to have you here.” It’s a phrase that may not seem out of the ordinary.  Yet, it was those words of welcome spoken by a priest...

During the nearly 50 years that she spent serving the poorest of the poor in India, Mother Teresa was considered by many to be a saint. 

Ask 8-year-old Henry More what stands out the most from the years he attended Saint Elizabeth’s Child Development Center in Portland, and he’ll give you a definitive answer: “John’s shepherd’s pies!”

Members of Holy Family Parish in Greenville want to ensure a bright future for their community.  Unfortunately, it means parting with a beloved piece of their present and past.

Passing through a holy door is an opportunity available to most of us during this Jubilee Year of Mercy.

A sea of raincoats, a field of candlelight, the chants of Italian pilgrims, the rhythmic beating of African drummers.  Voices raised in spontaneous song.

Election time will be quickly upon us, and among the many issues is that of immigration.  In that light, it is good that we review the teaching of the Church on this matter. 

As you are well aware, we are in the midst of election season. It is hardly necessary to remind you of that fact since the season seems unending.

Thomas LaJoie says that is what he came to believe at a young age and what now, at age 17, he still knows to be true.

Just after Easter this year, Pope Francis released one of the more important documents of his pontificate. Called Amoris Laetitia (The Joy of Love)...

For a number of years, I wrote a column concerned only with liturgical matters.  From time to time, I like to return to such topics. 

Father Matthew Gregory says it’s difficult to express what it feels like to be ordained a priest of the Diocese of Portland.

“I’m feeling pretty good, but it’s funny how much Mom still comes up.” Trish Scott is in a period of transition.   Her mother passed away last year after suffering for several years from Alzheimer’s disease.

Six-year-old Jacob is helping his grandmother Katherine Jones begin planting her garden.

Gerard Pelletier and Steve Jandreau cheerfully greet people as, one by one, they drive up to the front of Saint Charles Borromeo Church in the northern Maine town of Saint Francis.

Sister Annette Bouchard, SCIM, warmly greets Saint James School students as they arrive at Saint Joseph’s Convent in Biddeford.

On most Fridays, you will find 89-year-old Laureat “Larry” Thibeault waiting outside Saint John the Baptist Church in Brunswick, greeting students as they return to class after morning Mass.

Madeline Guerrette carries an armful of fleece blankets bursting with color.

The Solemnity of Corpus Christi is the name of the feast people my age grew up with.  Today, it is known as the "Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ." 

Eight-year-old Derek Beck explains the keys that you find on a Brailler and how it works.

Jesus makes a lot of strong and challenging statements over the course of his ministry, but his prohibition of divorce and remarriage is of a different magnitude altogether.

“Jesus Christ is the face of the Father’s mercy.”  These are the words that open Pope Francis’ letter announcing the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy.

From field hospitals in Vietnam to the floors of Mercy Hospital in Portland, Father Robert Paskey, S.J., has spent a lifetime caring for the sick and comforting the afflicted. 

Inviting Catholics around the diocese to make a pilgrimage and experience God’s mercy, Bishop Robert Deeley opened holy doors at four churches in celebration of the Jubilee Year of Mercy.

New Year’s Eve 1954 was the beginning of a wonderful life together for Barbara and Eugene Fetteroll.  They met on a blind date, married two and a half years later, and have been together ever since.

“She is very, very independent.” Mary Coyne has always been someone who has known her own mind.

When I was in high school, we used to have to memorize poems and other classic works.  I remember only bits and pieces today, but among them is the beginning of Portia's speech in The Merchant of Venice...

As you receive this issue of Harvest, we are in the Christmas Season. I hope your celebration of these days is full of joy, the spirit of the season.

When 9-1-1 calls come in and fire alarms sound in Biddeford and Saco, police and firefighters aren’t the only ones ready to respond, so is Deacon Kevin Jacques.

“I can’t imagine anything better or more wonderful than this gift of being called to give myself, every bit of myself, to God.”

“I was homeless, jobless. I had mentally, physically, emotionally, and financially hit bottom.” Bernie L. remembers a time in his life when he was dependent on alcohol.

"We cannot resign ourselves to thinking of the Middle East without Christians, who have professed the name of Jesus for 2,000 years.”